1. Substrate Preparation
In order to cultivate antler mushrooms, fir wood chips and corn cobs are used as culture medium materials. If fir wood chips are difficult to find, poplar wood chips can be used instead. Then, add appropriate nutrient sources to the culture medium. It is generally recommended to use bran, corn bran and yield-increasing agents for a reasonable combination. This can provide the necessary nutrients for the growth of antler mushrooms, shorten the growth cycle and increase yield.
2. Pollution Control of Return Air
During the culture process, the cooling process will cause the cold indoor air containing miscellaneous bacteria to be sucked back into the culture bottle, causing the sterilized culture medium to be contaminated again. This phenomenon is called backflow contamination or inhalation contamination, and we need to prevent it. For this reason, attention should be paid to keeping the pot temperature above 80°C, and dust removal and filtering devices should be installed. Spray disinfection can also be used for thorough disinfection.
3. Initial Culture and Management
It takes about 40 to 50 days from the beginning of culture to the end of mycelial spread. At this stage, it is necessary to control the indoor temperature between 20 and 23°C, and reasonably control the humidity and carbon dioxide concentration. In order to avoid the mixing of harmful bacteria, it is necessary to reduce the gaps when the bacteria are inoculated, and to prevent the invasion of strong winds for the first 10 days after inoculation. In addition, perform appropriate acclimation treatment at room temperature before use.
4. Management of Budding and Fruiting
The suitable temperature for fruiting of velvet antler mushroom is 14-22℃. During the budding process, use the method of scratching the bacteria upside down. During germination management, the temperature needs to be maintained between 16 and 18°C, and the carbon dioxide concentration and light conditions should be reasonably controlled. After 12 days of cultivation, harvesting can take place in about a month. 5 days before harvesting, try not to increase the humidity; 3 days before harvesting, try not to wet the crops. For velvet antler mushrooms, the humidity during harvesting is very important because it can well improve the quality of velvet antler mushrooms.